This Thursday (3/23/2017) the NJ Assembly will vote on a bill that requires firearms seizure when a mental health professional determines a patient poses threat of harm to self or others. This essentially will put doctors into the very uncomfortable position of making determinations that are meant to be put before a judge. Mental health groups have also warned that the bill could cause those in need of help, to forego treatment out of fear of losing their guns for life.
The bill, A2938, would mandate that:
…a licensed practitioner of psychology, psychiatry, medicine, nursing, clinical social work, or marriage counseling who currently is providing treatment services determines, in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment, that the patient is likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others, the licensee shall report, as soon as practicable to the Attorney General the patient’s name and other non-clinical identifying information which the Attorney General shall only use to determine whether the patient has been issued a firearms purchaser identification card, permit to purchase a handgun, or any other permit or license authorizing possession of a firearm.
So from here on out, any visit with any manner of doctor can potentially lead to you losing your guns. It is completely in the the physicians hands from that point on. The case does go to a trial, but it’s your word versus the doctor, and the court will most likely side with the doctor. So if you’ve had a divorce, or any other sort of hardship that a doctor determines you’re at increased risk of suicide, it’s then in their hands to decide if they want to report you to the Attorney General’s office to have your guns taken.
There will be a trial to determine this, but this will cost tens of thousands in legal fees in order to defend yourself in court, and even if you win, you’ll be broke and have to sell your guns to pay for your debts anyway. This, like every single other anti-gun bill the NJ Legislature passes, is another backdoor gun ban. They want purchasing and owning a firearm to be so difficult, and full of so many other hoops and rings to jump through, that people don’t even bother trying. And if you do try, they want you to live in fear of breaking any law by accident and facing a 5-10 year mandatory minimum for that accident.
Help us fight back against this abomination of a law, and the others they’re trying to force down our throats. Join NJ2AS today or make a donation to help the fight. Reminder that everyone who joins or renews their NJ2AS membership or donates at least $5 will automatically be entered into our March Giveaway for four chances to win a custom IWB holster from Titan Concealment! At least sign up to our email list to get updates on latest news regarding the Second Amendment in New Jersey.